December 2013 Ipsy (My Glam) Unboxing and Review

Hello my lovelies!

My favorite mail day has arrived- Ipsy Day!

Pink Envelope of Goodness

I seriously LOVE receiving this pretty pink envelope each month in the mail.  It really makes my day.

First Peek

The first peek inside the bag is always the best- especially if nothing is broken or crushed :)

Celebration!

December's Theme is "Celebration!" I love this- not only is it Ipsy's second anniversary, it's also the time of year that is filled with parties, family and gatherings.  Ipsy is also having a contest this month, if you post a picture of your Glam Bag on Instagram with the proper tags, you could win a year's subscription to this fabulous service.

The brands

I always love the little insert cards in each package; it is a fast introduction to the brands that are featured each month, and have cute little pictures on them.  December's bag is no exception.

December 2013's bag

I absolutely, positively LOVE this month's bag!  It's the same style as June's bag, and the shiny black diamond-pattered outside is perfectly paired with a deep red liner.  This bag has instantly become my purse cosmetic bag, and will remain so for quite a while, I think.

Each month, Ipsy sends out 4-5 items, either deluxe samples or full sized items.  This month, Ipsy send 2 items to all subscribers, and the remaining 3 items varied from bag to bag.  I'll start with the items everyone received.

Be A…Bombshell The One Stick in Girl Crush, full size (7.3g/0.26 oz), $16 retail, available HERE.  Discount code IPSY40 will get you a 40% discount, and a free full-sized raspberry tart blush, until 1/15/14, US only, can’t be combined with other offers, free item is automatically added when order ships.

I've enjoyed trying out the Be A...Bombshell line.  The One Stick is a product that is for use on the eyes, cheeks and lips (hence the name), and this pretty pink is a beautiful blush shade on me.  I tried it on my lips, and it applied kind of thickly, and it was too frosty to look good with my skin tone.  I have yet to try it on my eyes (I have lots of pink shadow), but I think this would work well as a cream shadow (maybe as a base).  When I heard that we were getting this product, I looked for a picture of it, and was surprised when it arrived at just how big it is.  I guess I was expecting a product the size of a lipstick tube, and this is MUCH bigger than that, and will last a long time.  I am pretty happy with this- it's the first cream blush product that I actually like.
GRADE: 4/5

POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eyeshadow Trio in Smokin’ Hot, deluxe sample size (4.35g/0.15 oz, 3 pans of shadow), $7.20 retail value, available HERE. Full size retails for $24 and includes 10 pans of shadow.  Discount code EyeLuvPOP gets you 25% off of any purchase, until 1/15/14, one time use only, can’t be combined with other offers, US only, excluding territories, free shipping on orders $75 or more.

I've had good and bad luck with POP Beauty before- I really disliked the mascara I received earlier this year, but the lip crayon was a flattering shade for me, and a decent formula.  My first impression of the eyeshadow trio was that the palette was hard to open.  Like really REALLY hard.  As in I wound up breaking two nails, and using a butter knife hard. I swatched the shadows and they seemed to be lightly pigmented, but when I went to use them on my eyes, I was very impressed with the consistency. I gave this shadow trio a try, and while I would have preferred the neutral palette, these went on nicely, blended well, and created a long lasting smoky eye look that I rocked for a full day.  I did put these on over primer, and I think that it made all the difference.  I don't currently have a palette specifically for smoky eye looks, so this is a welcome addition to my collection.  I will try to branch out more into this look for evenings out, but I don't think I will ever give up on my love for color!

GRADE: 4/5

 Ipsy also sent each subscriber a lip product: each bag had either a J.Cat lip pencil or a NYX lipstick.  I received...

 Nyx Extra Creamy Round Lipstick in Celene, full size (4g/0.14oz), $4.00 retail, available HERE. Discount code IPSYSLIM gets you 35% off of the slim lip pencil until 1/15/14, one time use, can’t be combined with other offers.

Once I found out that I was going to receive the NYX Lipstick, I was really excited. I've wanted to try out their formula, but don't currently have any in my collection (how did THAT happen?).  When I opened up my bag, and saw the color that I received, I actually sad the words, "You've got to be kidding me!"
Ipsy, please- I don't wear pale shades.  I don't wear much gold.  Please send me pretty pinks, corals, and blue-based reds.  Please don't send me any more zombie-inspired lipstick shades.  Please??  I did give this a try, and it was worse on my lips than on my hand.  I'll try layering this over a darker lip shade; hopefully I can find some use of this tube.  It's really a shame, because I really like the formula.
GRADE 3/5 (Great formula, horrific shade)

The remaining two items in each bag were from an assortment of items.  Here is what I received:

Nicka K New York polish in NY112, full size (0.5 fl oz/15ml), $4.99 retail, available HERE.  Discount code IPSY gets you 30% off until 1/10/14, cannot be combined with other offers, US only, free shipping on orders $50 or more.

I love me some nailpolish, and I have never heard of the brand Nicka K.  I received a pretty taupe shade, with purple undertones in some lighting.  I gave this a try and I really love the formula.  This polish is long lasting, and applied smooth and creamy.  I had total opacity in two coats.  

Swatch of Nicka K Polish in NY112 (gold sparkle top coat on all of them except the ring finger)

This color isn't my favorite shade, but after I added a gold sparkle topcoat, I think it is fantstic!  I don't have any like this at all in my collection, so this will most definitely get used.  I think this is my favorite product in my bag this month.  Love it!
GRADE: 5/5

Ardell Natural Lashes in 120 DEMI, full size (1 pair), $3.99 retail, available HERE.  No discount coded this month, sorry!

I have a love/hate relationship with lashes.  I love them, but I hate applying them.  I finally have a method that works fairly well, and these applied nicely.  I don't think that the lashes looked particularly natural on my face, but they were light and easy to wear.  The glue included did a nice job of holding them in place, which for me, is unusual for the little samples in the lash packs, so this was a big plus.
GRADE: 4/5

In my bag this month, I also received a referral bonus- so a HUGE thank you to anyone and everyone who used my link to sign up for Ipsy!!

Beauty blender and blender cleanser, deluxe sample (blender alone is $19.95), available HERE.  Full size retails for $23.95 (1 blender and 3 oz of cleanser).  No discount code currently available.

I have never tried the original Beauty Blender before, and I have to say, that I was pleasantly surprised.  I expected the foam to be more dense (like the one I purchased from the Ulta brand), and was happy with how it applied the foundation.  The cleanser was great, and did a fabulous job of cleaning my sponge.  I was amazed at how much the blender "grew" once it was dampened!  This is seriously my new go-to for applying foundation.  Love it!  This is a fabulous extra, and I am super happy with it!
GRADE: 5/5

I took one swatch photo this month, of everything on my hand.  Here 'tis:

Top: Nyx lipstick in Celene
Middle: Be A Bombshell The One Stick in Girl Crush, Nicka K polish in NY112 (Classic Taupe)
Bottom: POP Beauty Smokin' Hot Trio

Items YOU might have received in your Ipsy bag, but I did not:

J.Cat Beauty Big Lip Pencil, full size (0.3 oz), retails for $3.99, available HERE.  Discount code jcatlips will get you 30% off of any purchase, until 1/15/14, can't be combined, US only.

Mirabella Eye Blender brush, full size, retails for $27, available HERE.  Discount code IPSTER will get you 30% off of any purchase, until 1/7/14, can't be combined with other offers, valid in the US only.

English Laundry Signature Fragrances set (Signature Pour Femme and Signature), 2 vials, each 5mL, retail value $8.70, available HERE.  Full size is 3.4 oz/100mL and retails for $84 (men's) and $90 (women's).  If you purchase this fragrance, you will receive a free bag with any purchase of $75 or more, and free shipping, until 2/23/14, free shipping is US only and excludes Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Andrea Strip Lashes in style #33, full size, retails for $3.99, available HERE.  No discount code this time, sorry! 

Salon Perfect Perfectly Natural lashes in #53, full size, retails for $2.98, available HERE.  No discount code this time, sorry! 

Demeter Snow Perfume Oil Roll on, full size (0.29 fl oz/8.8mL), retails for $10, available HERE.  Discount code ipsy20dfl will get you 20% off of any purchase, until 1/13/14, one time use only, valid only in US and Canada.

Jesse's Girl Julie G Holiday Frosted Gum Drops Nail lacquer in Sugar Plum Fairy, full size (0.35 fl oz), available HERE, retails for $3.99.  Discount code IPSYDEC2013 will get you 20% off your purchase until 1/15/14, free US shipping, international shipping available.

Starilly Nail Polish in Bzzz Buzz, mini size (0.17oz), retails for $5, available HERE.  Discount code IPSY will get you 20% off of your purchase, can't be combined with other offers, US and Canada only, shipping based on weight, no end date listed.

December 2013 December Glam Bag

Here's my beautiful December 2013 Ipsy Glam bag, in all it's glory!  I am really happy with what I received this month, and while I might have wanted to try some different items, aside from the god-awful lipstick color, everything I did get will most definitely be used.  To me, that spells SUCCESS! 

Here's a rundown of everything that was sent out by Ipsy this month, just to help you calculate your bag's monetary value.  As always, an item could be worth a fortune, and you hate it, so it has no true value, but the almighty dollar seems to be the way most people judge their bags, so, here we go! 

Be A...Bombshell The One Stick (full size): $16.00
POP Beauty eyeshadow trio (deluxe sample): $7.20
Nyx Extra Creamy Round lipstick (full size): $4.00
J.Cat Beauty Big Lip Pencil (full size): $3.99
Ardell Natural Lashes (full size): $3.99
Andrea Strip Lashes (full size): $3.99
Salon Perfect Perfectly Natural lashes (full size): $2.98
Nicka K New York polish (full size): $4.99
Jesse's Girl Julie G Nail lacquer in Sugar Plum Fairy (full size): $3.99
Starilly Nail Polish in Bzzz Buzz (mini size): $5.00
English Laundry Signature Fragrances set (Signature Pour Femme and Signature), (2 vials, each 5mL):$8.70
Demeter Snow Perfume Oil Roll on (full size): $10.00
Mirabella Eye Blender brush (full size): $27.00
Referral Gift:
Beauty blender and blender cleanser (deluxe sample):blender alone is $19.95

Total retail value of MY bag (approx.): $56.13 (without referral gift, $36.14)

My December 2013 Ipsy Look

Sorry about the shadow on my shadow, but here's a closeup of the eyelook, with Starlook's Topaz gem pencil as liner.

Closeup of the lashes

 Here's my unboxing video, for those who like to watch these things, and want to see my Christmas tree :)  If you want to see more of my family and me, a new vlog is uploaded every day on this channel, so subscribe away :)


What's this- you don't subscribe to Ipsy yet?  Well, crawl out from underneath the rock you are living under and head on over there and check them out!  Ipsy is $10 a month (plus $5 if you are in Canada), and gets you 4-5 full size or deluxe sample beauty products in the mail each month, all in a cosmetic bag.   If you would like to sign up, would you consider using my referral link?  I get points towards goodies, and you get good karma, plus a referral code of your very own to share.  Everyone wins!

Until next time, my lovelies- stay Average!

Disclaimer: This video contains products that I purchased with my own money.  I was not asked nor requested by any company to review/unbox these items, and all opinions are true and my own.  No links are referral or paid links, except the Ipsy link.  I totally want the Ipsy points. 

Black Friday: Benefit Lip Lotto and Bare Minerals

I know, I know, I know- Black Friday was SO long ago.

December is a crazy month here.  I'm either creating a gift, shopping for a gift, wrapping a gift, or running my kids to a thousand and one events.  I feel bad for not posting as much this time of year, but if you really want to know what I've been up to, feel free to check out my YouTube channel- I upload a daily vlog :)

When I saw the previews of the Black Friday sale at Ulta, I knew that these sets had to be mine.  The colors looked gorgeous, and three Benefit lipsticks for the price of one, and three Bare Minerals products for $10?  I also had a bunch of points, that I cashed in, and got these sets for a song!

Benefit Lip Lotto, Black Friday special at Ulta, $18 and currently sold out.

I'm definitely a BeneBabe.  I love Benefit's cute packaging, and the quality of the products that I have tried.  This said, I've never tried their lipsticks before, so this set seemed like a great way to give them a try!  The packaging is adorable, and I was excited to crack open the tubes and see all the pretty colors!

Benefit Cosmetics Lip Lotto set, in Lady's Choice, Fame Game, and La La Land

Lip Lottos are aptly named, because each set is a bit different.  These sets include 3 full size Full-finish lipsticks, and was priced at $18.  I received Lady's Choice, Fame Game, and La La Land.  These tubes of loveliness twist up nicely, and are all, in my opinion, pretty neutral and wearable.  Because I ordered online (and didn't brave the store!), I didn't get to choose my own shades.  I was surprised by the shades in the box- from the packaging I thought that they would be a little darker, but all in all, these are wearable shades, and, in my opinion, all rather neutral shades.  Fame Game is 3.0g/0.10 oz, and Lady's Choice and La La Land are 3.6g/0.12 oz in size.  Benefit advertises that these are 3.0g, so two tubes I received are actually a bit larger than full size!  These lipsticks are available HERE, if you are looking to make them your very own.

Swatches of Benefit Lip Lotto lipsticks in Lady's Choice, Fame Game, and La La Land

Lady's Choice (left), is a lovely shade, a brown-toned pink (at least in my opinion) that is my absolutely favorite.  This shade is SO flattering on me, I've been wearing this frequently.  The wear time was pretty great, and it applies like a dream.

Fame Game (Middle) is a frosty nude pink.  Now, I love me some pink lipstick (please dear Lord, no more reds for me for a while!), I'm not a fan of this shade because of the frost.  This lipstick is not as creamy as the other two, and while it applies evenly, I don't like the grainy feeling in the tube, and frosty lips just aren't a good look for me.  It's not BAD, per se, it's just not for me.  If you love frosty lips and don't mind the gritty texture of the bullet (it doens't make your lips gritty, it just feels strange going on), go for this one, but for me, it's a miss.

La La Land (right) is the darkest shade in my set, and it a gorgeous mauvey brown.  This looks amazing on me, and is another favorite.  This shade has great wear time, and is super buttery and smooth when applying.  Love, love, love!

The second set I picked up on Black Friday is the Bare Minerals Go for the Glow kit.  This kit includes a full size Marvelous Moxie lip gloss, as well as deluxe size blush, and all over shimmer powder.  I love me some Bare Minerals, and I was excited to try these items- I don't have any of them in my collection (how is that even possible?!)!

Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss in Smooth Talker, blush in exhilarate, and all over face color in clear radiance.
 

Swatches of Marvelous Moxie lip gloss in Smooth talker, blush in Exhilarate, and all over face powder in Clear Radiance.

I love me some lip gloss, and this shade is such a pretty pink!  The Marvelous Moxie gloss in Smooth Talker applies sheer, and smells great- kind of like vanilla mint. This gloss is a tiny bit sticky, but it's not bad enough for me to dislike it. I don't like sticky glosses at all, and this one is just within what I consider "acceptable" on my stickyness scale.  So very pretty! This gloss is a full size product, 4.5ml/0.15 fl oz in size, and on it's own, retails for $18, available HERE.

Blushes are probably the cosmetic that I own the least of.  I'm not sure why- I guess I just tend to wear a smaller variety of shades of blush than I do lipstick, eyeliner and eyeshadow!  I was excited to try this blush, as it's a bit darker than others in my collection. I apply this with a light hand (and tap the excess off of my brush), and this gives me a beautiful, deep natural looking blush on my cheeks.  Love it!  This is a deluxe sample size product, at 0.57g/0.02 oz.; Bare Minerals full size loose blushes are $19 for 0.85g/0.02 oz. I couldn't find this shade for sale at either Ulta or Bare Minerals directly, but other shades are available HERE.

The final product in this set is one that I see myself saving for special occasions, where I want to look all sparkly like a vampire.  All Over Face Color in Clear Radiance is a pretty pale pink shimmer, and whereas I don't think I'll be applying this all over my face, it does make for a pretty highlight color.  This is a deluxe sample size product as well, at 0.57g/0.02 oz; full size I would assume is the same size as the blush, but I couldn't find it listed on either Ulta's or Bare Minerals' websites.  If you want to make this pretty pink highlighter your very own, it's available HERE.

Samples!

Ulta is always awesome in that they send out 3 samples with each order.  I received good samples this time: I received a foil pack of Benefit's It's Potent! Eye cream, Ahava body butter foil pack, and a deluxe sample of John Frieda's Frizz Ease Finishing Creme. All will be used.

My Ulta Black Friday shopping Haul

So that pretty much sums up my Black Friday Ulta haul.  Did you pick up anything interesting, gorgeous?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Happy Holidays!





Until next time, my lovelies- stay Average!

Disclaimer: I purchased the above items with my own money/credits from Ulta points.  All opinions are my own; I was neither asked nor required to review these products as a condition for me to keep them.  I strive for honestly, and no amount of freebies will ever change that!

Product Review- Dr. Scholl's® For Her Cozy Cushions

Hello, my lovelies! I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season!

As the weather turns cooler (and freezing for some of you!), I thought it was an appropriate time to tell you my secret of having warm feet even on the coldest of days...

Dr. Scholl's For Her Cozy Cushions Inserts!

I receive a pair of these from Influenster for testing purposes, and although the weather here is still in the "up and down" stages, I have worn my boots with the inserts enough to give the inserts a full review.

Dr. Scholl's For Her Cozy Cushions Inserts, $9 retail, available HERE, among other retailers.

 

These fuzzy inserts can be cut to fit your boots, using the size guidelines on the reverse side, and are designed to be fitted to shoe sizes 6-10.  I have huge feet (size 11!), so I didn't have to trim mine, and they fit in my boots very nicely.

I tried these in some boots that are generally a bit tight for me (I have big, wide feet), and they made the boots unwearable- they were so tight on the tops of my feet, that I had to immediately remove them.  I tried them in boots that were looser on my feet (UGG style boots), and they were absolutely magical.

My boots kept my feet warm and toasty on a very cold night.  I'm not kidding you- the rest of me was icy cold, but my feet were amazingly warm! 

Not only are these inserts wonderfully warm, they are very comfortable too.  I can stand for hours with these in my boots and my feet felt just fine. Keep in mind, that this is coming from someone with slight heel spurs- my feet ALWAYS hurt the day after a stand/walk-a-thon, and with these inserts, I didn't hurt.  At All.

Are the Cozy Cushions inserts for you?  Well, if your boots aren't generally tight on your feet, and you are prone to cold feet, then YES.  If you tend to wear tighter fitting boots, then skip this product, as it will make your boots much less wearable.

At any rate- I totally plan to use these during Cookie Booth Season in March- it's SO SO cold being outside at a booth, stationery for hours and hours- these will make me MUCH more comfortable!

If you want to pick up a pair of these for your very own, they are available at Target, currently for $9.  I think that they are definitely worth the investment to make your favorite boots more comfortable!

I hope you all enjoyed this review- have you tried the Cozy Cushions?  Leave a comment, and let me know what you thought of them!


Until next time, my lovelies- stay Average!

Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.  All thoughts and opinions in this post are true and my own- no amount of money or freebies will EVER change that!  I'm very open with my opinions- just ask my husband!  No links in this post are referral links.  I strive for honesty.

 

My MEGA Birthday Makeup Haul!!!

Hello, my lovelies!  As some of you know, my birthday is early in November, and my daddy sent me a very generous birthday check!  What's an average girl to do with birthday money?  Buy MAKEUP, of course!
Ok, so I had birthday cash and I went a little nuts.  When my mother (hi, mom!) heard me say how much I spent on makeup, she couldn't believe that it was possible to spend that much on cosmetics, but I assure you, it was pretty easy (and really, not all THAT much money).

Here's my birthday haul, and hopefully you will see some awesome deals that you can pick up to treat yourself with for Christmas gifts.

The first order I placed, was with EM Cosmetics.  I purchased the "Get Started with EM" kit, which includes a sampler of The Life Palette, and a full size Waterliner and Lipstick for $27.50, free shipping.kj k7ijuytu yuru6u 46 7tyyy7uyggftgyhhyhnhnhnhxrttr7

Em Cosmetics The Love Life Palette Sampler

EM Cosmetics The Life Palette- Love Life Sampler, look 1- Warm Fuzzies, net weight 2.26g (0.079 oz), available HERE; retails for $10.

The mini Life Palettes are super cute- I received a clear plastic with a card backing sample (the plastic closes to protect the product inside), that contains 3 eye shadow pans and a lip shades.  The front of the sampler reads: "inspired by michelle's favorite things, from looks she always wears to colors she can never live without."  The lack of capitalization honestly makes me cringe.

Swatch of The Life Palette- Love Life Warm Fuzzies sampler

The eye shadows seem to be of acceptable quality, and are moderately pigmented.  The blue shade, specifically, is super silky to the touch.  The shadows swatch nicely on my fingers, but not as nicely to my hand.  The lipstick sample is a very pretty shade with just a touch of shimmer,  has a pleasant taste, and is almost not sticky.  What I don't like about the sampler (and the Life Palettes) is mixing cream and powder products in the same palette- shadow fallout is inevitably going to get into the lip gloss and ruin it.  This palette is cute, the shades are lovely (just had to work to get the look I wanted), but I won't be purchasing the full size palette.  I have had fun playing with this palette- it creates a really pretty, autumn look.  Pictures of it are in my Instagram :)

EM Cosmetics Waterliner in Ro's Gold, full size (280mg/0.01 oz), available HERE, retails for $20.

This eyeliner is the star of the show.  Seriously, this gorgeous rose gold shade is so complimentary, and the formula is superb.  I love that this eyeliner has a smudger in the back, and although it's a twist up pencil, it has a built in sharpener, beneath the smudger.  The side of the packaging reads: "inspired by the die-hard eye liner girl who would take only her favorite eye liner to a deserted island.  a unique, rich pigment eye liner grabs everywhere including your waterline- without budging or smudging."  I think a word is missing there somewhere in that second sentence, but that's just the Grammar Nazi in me rearing its ugly head. 

Swatch of Waterliner in Ro's Gold (sorry for the crappy pic- it was a rainy day)

Rose gold is the hot trend this fall, and in all honesty, I cannot believe how amazing this color looks on my eyes!  This waterliner doesn't budge from my eyes, and I looked as amazing when I was ready for bed, as I did when I first applied my makeup.  I absolutely recommend this eyeliner- the only drawback for me is the price- $20 is a bit much for a 0.01 eyeliner for this budget conscious beauty, but hey, if you can justify it, go for it!

EM Cosmetics Lip Gallery Creamy Color Classic Lipstick in Be Mine, full size (3.5g/0.123 oz), available HERE, retails for $16.50

I'm not a HUGE fan of lipstick, but I am trying to wear it more.  I picked out this shade based on the swatches on EM's site, but when it arrived, it doesn't match the picture.  This isn't actually a problem for me, though, in this case- the shade this lippie arrived in, is exactly the shade I was originally looking for!  Seriously, this lipstick is gorgeous!

Swatch of Creamy Color Classic Lipstick in Be Mine

I think this might be my favorite fall lipstick shade.  I'm not crazy about the packaging on this- the words behind the "em" logo is a bit juvenile for me, but I will definitely be using this because I love the shade.  The side of the packaging reads; "inspired by the girl who loves to draw attention.  this rich, creamy lipcolor is infused with conditioning oils.  em tip: lipcolor adds extra wow to your face-pick your perfect shade for a special pop!"  Um, duh.  I already know lipstick adds some color to my face.  That's why I wear it, EM.  

My order also arrived with a cute insert card, with a thank you message from Michelle Phan herself. I thought this was a nice touch, as was the pink tissue paper that everything was wrapped in.

TOTAL PURCHASE: $27.50, free shipping

My second order comes from my favorite company, Urban Decay.  UD creates amazing products, and I'm never disappointed with what they have on sale on their website!

Glinda Palette, full size (includes 6 full size eyeshadows, each 1.5g/0.05 oz, 24/7 glide-on eye pencil, 0.8g/0.03 oz, and a super-saturated lip pencil, 2.8g/0.1 oz), available HERE; sale price is $24.

Tiny Love is OBSESSED with Oz the Great and Powerful right now, and while her favorite is the China Doll, my favorite is Glinda.  Seriously, her light and beautiful look is absolute perfection.  This palette is a no-brainer.

Get the look :)

Included in the palette is an insert card (with "get the look" directions on the back), a super saturated lip crayon in Glinda, a 24/7 glide on eye pencil in Rockstar, and six full size eye shadows: Tornado, Aura (pink and purple pastels, split pan), Magic, Illusion, Oz (silver and gold metallic, split pan), and South.

Left to right, top to bottom: Tornado, Aura (duo shadow), Magic, Illusion, Oz (duo shadow) and South.

 I love this palette- and the coolest part is, once a shadow is used up, I can replace it with another UD shadow single!

Swatches of Tornado, Aura and Magic

Swatches of Illusion, Oz and South

This is seriously my new favorite look!  I love love love the eyeshadows shades- they are absolute pretty perfection!  I tend to want to wear dramatic eye makeup, and this palette takes me away from that, and offers a beautiful, bright and light look that is amazing.

UD 24/7 Glide on Eye pencil in Rockstar, from the Glinda palette

Swatch of Rockstar

I love this dark purple eyeliner with my blue eyes.  The 24/7 formula is a favorite of mine, and I'm so excited to grab this sweet deal!

UD Super Saturated lip crayon in Glinda

Swatch of Glinda

This lip pencil is soft, and glides on smoothly, leaving lips beautifully tinted and just a touch glossy.  The shade Glinda looks fab on my lips- it's just a shade darker than my natural color- this is an awesome "nude lip" look for me!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Greed, full size (11ml/0.37 fl oz), available HERE; sale price is $10

 Like most beauty junkies, I love me some UDPP.  I've only ever tried the original formula, though, so I was excited to see that the Greed shade was on sale.

Swatch of Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Greed

This golden tinted primer seriously locks in shadows all day long, and goes on silky smooth.  If you love the original formula, and are looking for something with a tad more glam, pick this up.  You won't be disappointed.

Urban Decay Lip Envy in Envious, full size (8.5 ml/0.29 fl oz), available HERE; sale price is $4.

I love love love the packaging of this lip product- it's almost like an alchemist's bottle!  This deep red stain smells like vanilla, and adds a bit of color to your lips.  You can layer the color to get a darker shade, but for me and my pale self, I love it with just one sheer layer.  

Swatch of Lip Envy in Envious

This is a product similar to Benefit's Benetint- it pulls double duty as a cheek stain, too!  Lip Envy is just a tad bit sticky until it dries, and then there is no stick at all.  I found this to be just a bit dry, so I added lip balm on top, and my lips are absolutely gorgeous!

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray, deluxe sample size (15ml/0.5 fl oz), retail value $3.63 , full size (118ml/4.0 fl oz) is available HERE; retails for $29

This setting spray was a free gift with my order.  I love how UD sends me a deluxe sized sample with all of my orders- it's such a nice touch!  I've tried the de-slick mattifying spray, and loved it- I'm sure that I will love this spray, too!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm foil pack sample, no retail value, as no size is listed.  Full size (35 ml/1.18 fl oz) is available HERE, and retails for $34.

I received a deluxe sample of UD's beauty balm in January, and I absolutely loved it.  I can't justify purchasing the full size of this, but I will definitely be using this sample.  I absolutely love it!

Total purchase price (including a second Glinda palette that I purchased for Tween Angel's Christmas gift): $62, free shipping ($38 for just my birthday haul).

Next, I cruised on over to BH Cosmetics. I received an email that their 36 brush set (in a case) was on a special sale!  I've been wanting new brushes, so you know I snapped these up!

BH Cosmetics Ultimate Brush Steal- 36 brushes plus storage case, $29, plus $7.95 shipping, currently on sale for $39.95, available HERE.

Seriously, this thing is HUGE!

I couldn't fit the whole thing in a picture!

I pulled on bristles, and twisted the brush heads, and these appear to be of very good quality.  I haven't put them all through the wringer yet, but I definitely will very soon!

bh Cosmetics 36 Ultimate Brush Set

Brushes 1-6, left to right: eyebrow, spoolie, small fan, shadow sponge, eyeliner smudger, bent eyeliner

Brushes 7-12, left to right: rounded liner, eyeliner, angled liner, small smudger, lip brush, small angled liner

Brushes 13-18, left to right: small rounded liner, round angled smudge, flat liner, small concealer, small smudge, angled shadow

Brushes 19-24, left to right: concealer, crease, eyeshadow, round flat shader,  short shadow, short smudger

Brushes 25-30, left to right: smudge, flat shadow, blending, angled blending, large shadow, foundation

Brushes 31-36, left to right: small blush, large angled blush, highlight & contour, duo fiber stippling, powder, large fan

Total cost of this haul, including shipping: $36.95, which works out to be about $1.03 per brush!

I used to be really into nail polish, and lately I've become more conscientious of how my nails look.  Zoya polish has some amazing shades to offer, and with the special offer from Ipsy (buy 2 get 1 free), I was able to score an amazing deal!  Zoya polishes are big 5 free, which I seriously love!

Zoya catalog

This color catalog is pretty handy- I can check off the shades I have, and what I have dupes for, so that I don't rebuy the same shades again and again!

Zoya Pixiedust in Carter, full size (0.5 fl oz/15ml), retails for $9; available HERE.

I received this polish in a prize pack that I won on a blog, and gave it to my BFF T, because she loves purple, and the Ravens.  I loved this shade, and the pixiedust finish, that I HAD to repurchase this!

Swatch of Zoya's Carter

Isn't this absolutely gorgeous??  This is the perfect autumn/winter purple, and the matte finish with sparkles is absolutely fabulous.

Zoya Pixiedust in Miranda, full size (0.5 fl oz/15ml), retails for $9; available HERE.

Since I already knew that I loved the pixiedust collection, it was hard to NOT buy every single shade.  I settled on this pretty deep rose shade, at least for now.

Swatch of Zoya's Miranda

I love this polish!  The pixiedust polish isn't the longest wearing polish that I have ever worn, but this is definitely my new favorite!  I can't wait for the next Zoya sale, so that I can get more pixiedust!

Zoya polish in Dream, full size (0.5 fl oz/15ml), retails for $8, available HERE.

I've been lusting over holographic polish for a while now, but this is the first time I've found it for sale, at least in my random searchings.  This gorgeous blue simply dances in the light- perfection in a bottle.

Swatch of Zoya's Dream

In all seriousness, if I could only choose one polish to wear the rest of my life, it would be this shade.  I think I'm in love!

Zoya polish in Payton, full size (0.5 fl oz/15ml), retails for $8, available HERE.

Another holo polish, Payton is a dark cranberry shade, and perfect for the winter months.

Swatch of Payton

This polish takes a grown up reddish purple, and adds a touch of elegance with the holographic glitter.  Love, love, love!  I couldn't be happier with my new Zoyas!

Zoya Remove +, deluxe sample (1 fl oz/15ml), retail value $1.25.  Full size is available HERE, and retails for $9.99, 8 oz container, with spill-proof lid.

I received the Zoya color lock system with the prize I recieved earlier this month, and I absolutely love it!  This polish remover is step one of the set, and I love that I have a little more to fill my large bottle with, or to throw in my travel case!

Total cost from Zoya: $31, including shipping.  I can't believe I spent that much money on nail polish, but I'm so happy with what I received, I think it was money well spent.

You all know that I'm an Ulta kind of girl.  I love that store and recently made Platinum status.  I don't have a brick and mortar Sephora in my area, and I really do prefer to do shopping in person, so I have never ordered from them before.  One of my Instagram friends posted an extra code for 20% off anything, and I snatched that code up- it was like it was meant to be!  Here's what I ordered for the first time with Sephora:

Obsessive Complusive Cosmetics Lip Tar All Star Mini set with brush, each 0.08 oz, contains the shades Memento, NSFW, Anime, and Black Dahlia, set retails for $20 (advertised as a $34 value), available HERE.

Ok, my beauty obsessed friends.  I have to have words with you.  First off, I thought y'all were my FRIENDS.  I share tips with you, you share tips with me.  WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME ABOUT THESE??!!  

In all seriousness, these lip tints are amazing!  The name "lip tar" is very misleading- I expected thick, sticky gloss.  These liquid lipsticks are none of the above!

Swatch of  OCC's lip tars: left to right: Memento, NSFW, Anime and Black Dahlia

These are amazing, and the assortment of shades in this set is fantastic.  I love that the set included a mini lip brush- that is vital for application of these lippies!  One thing I will say- only the tiniest drop is needed for application- these are super pigmented!  On my lips, these lippies lasted for hours- a rarity for me; but they bled a bit unless I used a lip liner.  The fact that they are vegan and cruelty free is just one more nail in the coffin that seals my newfound love for OCC!

Bare Minerals Original SPF 15 Foundation in Light (W15), full size (8g/0.28 oz), retails for $27, available HERE.

I love Bare Minerals foundation, and have used every last bit of what I have here at the house!  I typically purchase samples, but I think ounce for ounce, it's a better value to buy the larger container, especially since this is a product I use every day.  I love how flawless this makes my skin look, and the added bonus is that my skin isn't sensitive to this formulation.  I'm one happy customer :)

Samples!!

Sephora advertises that each order ships with three free samples.  They must be happy to have me as a customer, because I received FOUR!  I'm sending some of these on to a good friend :)

Sephora offers a birthday gift to all of their Beauty Insider customers.  Joining the Beauty Insider program is free, so I signed myself up months ago.  I was super excited to receive a birthday email, letting me know that I could pick out my gift!

Benefit Cosmetics They're Real! Mascara, deluxe sample size (3.0g/0.1 oz), retails for $10 (via Benefit Cosmetics), full size is 0.3 oz, retails for $23 and is available HERE.  Benefit Cosmetics Watt's Up!, deluxe sample size (25g/0.08 oz), retails for $8 (via Benefit Cosmetics); full size is 0.33 oz , retails for $30 and is available HERE. (Side note: the deluxe sample size is cheaper, ounce for ounce than the full size.  If you are looking for this, I suggest the deluxe size, because it's a better price!)

I own full sizes of both of these products and use them very frequently.  These mini's will have a happy home in my stash, anxiously awaiting the day when I run out of their full size doppelgangers!  Watt's Up! is a gorgeous highlighter- I love this mini size because it is perfect for the browbone.  They're Real! is my absolute favorite prestige brand of mascara, and always makes me look gorgeous.  What an awesome birthday gift!

I also picked up a little Christmas gift for a friend, to bump me over the free shipping threshold of $50.  Total cost of this order, after my friends and family code, and including the little gift (gift was $5 before the discount), was $46; $42, not including the little gift.

My last purchase (at this point, anyhow), was at Glamour Doll Eyes.  GDE makes amazing pigments in fantastic colors, and I just HAD to add to my collection!

Glamour Doll Eyes offers a "blogger's special", where bloggers get to choose 6 shades at a discounted price.  I snapped up this deal, and am so happy that I did!  I'll post a full review later, but here's swatches of what I received:

Glamour Doll Eyes Tattooed, Mushroom, and Celestial Crow, full size

 These shades are seriously gorgeous.  I plan to use Tattooed as a liner, Mushroom looks like it's going to be the perfect blending shade, and Celestial Crow is simply...midnight goddess perfection.

Swatches of Tattooed, Mushroom, and Celestial Crow

Glamour Doll Eyes What's my Name? Mannequin and Island Chic, full size

I have yet to find a GDE shade that I DON'T like, and these are joining the "I LOVE YOU!" crowd!  Simple perfection.  The key to using these pigments with minimal fallout is to put a tiny bit in the lid, gently dip your brush, and tap off the excess.  I've had a bit of fallout, but not at all what I usually get from loose pigments.

Swatches of What's my Name?, Mannequin and Island Chic

I seriously love these three shades- What's my Name is a beautiful light pink, Mannequin is a great neutral, and Island Chick is a fantastic teal.  
 
GDE always includes two sample baggies in each order- which is very, very cool!
 

The samples I received are for After Prom and Corrode.

I really love these shades- After Prom is a pretty pastel pink, and Corrode is a gorgeous golden shade. 

Swatches of After Prom and Corrode

Sadly, I have misplaced the baggie sample of Corrode after I took swatch pictures, but hopefully it will turn up soon!

Glamour Doll Eyes offers their loose eyeshadows for sale for $6 a jar.  Customers can choose between sifter jars (I don't actually like these, but they can prevent spills) with 1 1/2-2g of product, and no-sifter jars with 2-2 1/2g of product. 

It's hard to choose colors over the internet- everyone's monitor's aren't calibrated the same, and it's sometimes difficult to get makeup to photograph true to life.  Plus, just because something looks awesome in the jar doesn't mean that it will look awesome on your face.  GDE understands this, and offers sample baggies ($1.50 for 0.5g) and sample jars ($2.50 for 1g) for sale.  Samples come with free shipping (to the US), and (here's the best part!) if you choose to order the full size of a sample that you ordered, GDE will deduct the cost of the sample from your purchase of the full size shadow!  Tell me- who else does this because I've never heard of such an awesome perk!

I'm totally in love with my purchase from GDE, and it was very affordable, at $25.81, shipping included- because of the blogger's special, it works out to $4.30 per shadow!

My total cost of my birthday haul: EM Cosmetics: $27.50
Urban Decay: $38
BH Cosmetics: $36.95
Zoya: $31
Sephora: $42
Glamour Doll Eyes: $25.81
Grand total: $201.26
Ok, so I went over my budget by $1.26, but I'm going to say that it doesn't count!  I am so happy with everything I purchased, I can't even begin to tell you.  I don't think I could pick a favorite item if I tried!

My 2013 Birthday mega haul

Until next time, my lovelies- stay Average!

Disclaimer: The items featured in this post were purchased with my birthday money, and not by my husband.  Any free gifts were given as a promotion available to the public and not for PR purposes.  I was not asked nor required by any company to review products, and all opinions are my own.  There are referral links in this post- the Glamour Doll Eyes links are referrals because GDE is awesome and lets bloggers refer people and try to make a buck.  Feed my beauty obsession and yours at the same time- shop at GDE.